Life Moves On
by loOkMA-iTyPeLiKeDiS
Summary: Five years have passed. The old employees of the Kissuisou inn finally reunite. Future Fic, mostly AU
1. Chapter 1

characters are probably ooc and just fyi, i didn't finish the series because it got so dull so if something sounds wrong cuz it didn't happen, oh well

disclaimer: don't own Hanasaku Iroha or characters

/

Ohana sighed as she glared at the screen of her laptop, willing herself to come up with something to start on this dissertation. She narrowed her eyes, staring at the brightly lit screen and trying to ignore the background noise pervading the small café. She vaguely noticed a waitress rush by with a pitcher of iced tea to refill a glass, but she paid the teen girl no mind, trying only to figure out her topic for the business proposal project she had due in less than two weeks. She'd been trying to get the motivation to start it forever, she was tired and fed up, and she was starting to get a headache.

"Mou…" she grumbled, sinking back into the cushions of her booth and closing her eyes. "Maybe I should just call it quits for the day…"

She glanced forlornly at the clock of her phone as she idly twirled her straw in her coke/iced tea drink. It was only fifteen after twelve. She'd been there since her break for lunch at eleven and hadn't managed to put a dent in her assignment at all. At this rate, she was going to be finished with it past the deadline, and that wouldn't do. But even with the deadline for the proposal looming ever closer, she still couldn't find the motivation to get cracking on the assignment.

Ohana was fast on her way to ending up working in some office building as a white collar worker and it bothered her. She didn't know why. This was the path she'd chosen to lead, and by all means, she should have been more excited about the prospects, but she couldn't muster up any enthusiasm. It'd been year after year after year of the same studies for business, but even so, she still wasn't even sure she wanted to go into business. She was graduating from Tokyo U in a few months, but her life felt mundane, no ambition, no end goal in sight. She'd been wandering aimlessly through life recently, and the fact that she felt as if she hadn't really done anything with her life didn't help.

Her phone blipped with a text from Kouichi, and she sighed as she opened it, already knowing what it was about to say.

 _Ohana… we really need to talk. Please call me back._

She closed out of the screen with another sigh, shaking her head to herself and mentally apologising to her boyfriend. He'd called three times in the past hour—and that wasn't even counting the last few weeks—and she'd ignored them all. She'd meant it when she said she wanted a break from their relationship.

Ohana knew she had been distant for a while and it was unfair to him, but she couldn't help it. She felt lost, stuck in a rut, like her purpose wasn't clear anymore and she had no idea what to do to fix it. She needed a bit of space from him for the time being while she tried to figure herself out. She loved Kou—there was reason she'd been able to stay with him for almost six years—but sometimes, she felt like he was smothering her. Him _and_ the city. She really did need a break from how dull her life had become.

"Maybe I should call Baa-chan…" she mused, idly twirling the chibi hamburger keychain on her phone.

Back when she'd been younger, the Kissuisou inn had guided her back on her proper path. And hell, it'd been a pretty long time since she'd talked to the prickly old woman. Almost five years. Life had gotten in the way as well as cram school and plans for her future and before she knew it, a lot of time had truly passed.

Maybe she would plan a vacation to Yunosagi during the winter break… She owed it to herself, plus it could be nice to catch up with her grandmother. She hadn't realised how much she missed her. The more she thought about going on a long visit there, the more she liked it.

Before she could even open her phone though, it started buzzing wildly again from an incoming phone call from her mother. She rolled her eyes in frustration, wondering if everybody was planning to keep bugging her in the next couple of hours. Why did no one ever text or call when she was free, but start wanting to converse when she was busy.

"What now…" Ohana muttered under her breath, pursing her lips as she stared down at her phone.

Her mother had a tendency to call her for the dumbest things, like a young college guy hitting on her or even a two for one sale on shoes. She was glad she and her mother had gotten better at communicating through the years, but Satsuki was still kind of flaky sometimes, and she kept ignoring the fact that Ohana was busy trying to build a career for herself. Her mother wanted her attention, but it was kind of too little, too late, and now that Ohana was an adult, she didn't really have time to indulge in Satsuki's screwball tendencies.

She pushed the red ignore button with more force than was necessary, seriously debating if it would just be smarter to turn off her phone. She slapped her cheeks twice to get back in the zone and leaned over her computer again in hopes of gaining a strike of inspiration. She lifted up her phone to cut the power when it suddenly started violently vibrating again.

Ohana cried out in surprise, momentarily fumbling with the phone and nearly dropping it. The people in her area all turned to her in confusion and concern, and she chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head and turning away with red cheeks.

With a frown, she picked up the call, crouching over so as not to disturb the other patrons. Her mother never called her twice in a row unless it was an emergency.

"This had better be important, Mom. I'm in the middle of an important project for school and can't have my concentration broken."

A lie, considering her concentration had been shot for a while now, but she still felt the need to exercise that point to her mother. Maybe if she said it enough and made herself seem like she was being productive, she could actually become productive.

Her mother's silence on the other line made her brows furrow. She could hear her mother's choppy breathing through the phone. Why wasn't she saying anything? Ohana swore, if her mother was just calling to bug her about something that was stupid, she would be pretty pissed.

"Hello?" She huffed impatiently. "Mom, are you—"

 _"_ _She's gone, Ohana… Your grandmother's gone."_


	2. Chapter 2

It was weird how a train ride to Yunosagi that used to excite her, that used to fill her with a sense of peace and excitement only brought a sense of foreboding now. Or rather, a dread.

It wasn't just because she hadn't been back to the inn in a little under five years.

No.

It was also because of why she was going back.

When she'd promised her grandmother she'd return when the inn shut down, it had been under pretences that she'd come back in a cheerful time. She imagined it would have been at the peak of business, sometime in the summer so they could make full use of the summer yukatas and festival celebrations that customers used to like. But returning like this was heartbreaking.

Her phone pinged again with the alert for a text. It had buzzed three times since she'd departed, and Ohana read Kou's newest message, though she didn't respond.

 _Ohana… I know you're probably busy, but what I need to talk to you about is important. Please call me back._

She had too many things to worry about right now than what was happening in Tokyo. She felt awful ignoring Kou, but she needed time to herself right now.

Ohana sighed, leaning her head against the train window as she watched the large glittering ocean in the horizon whizz past. She'd long been out of the city, gradually growing closer and closer to her stop. It'd be only a few minutes until she arrived. A few minutes until she returned to the inn for the funeral of Shijima Sui.

Apparently, her grandmother died of an unchecked ulcer, the same one that had given her problems early on when Ohana had first moved into the inn. The stress from dealing with the inn closing coupled with her old age had caused the ulcer to progress pretty rapidly, leaving her with internal bleeding in her stomach. By the time she was checked into a hospital, it had been far too late to do much about it. Shijima Sui had passed away at seventy-three in a hospital room with only her son and two of her closest friends beside her.

Nobody had even known she'd been suffering, and yet… she left with a smile on her face.

A woman who'd cared for everyone at the inn, but had _Ohana_ really spent time to care for her grandmother? Ohana's guilt was gnawing at her stomach. How could Ohana have forgotten the fears of seeing the old woman lying in a hospital bed after collapsing back when he was sixteen? How could Ohana have forgotten her personal promise to be a support for her grandmother, to care for her in a way Satsuki had never cared for her mother?

Ohana had kept up with everyone only sparingly in the past five years because of her busy life taking over. Last she'd heard from Nako, years ago, she was getting married straight out of high school. Ohana hadn't been able to attend the wedding because of her course work and as such, she knew next to nothing of the lives of the people she used to spend time with. How could she have lost touch with everyone? And the whole time, her grandmother's health had been slowly deteriorating.

The train came to a stop at the station and Ohana yawned, standing up and taking her bag along with her as she exited the train to the familiar platform. It smelled of sunflowers and pine and that perpetual smell of fresh linens, and unlike the Tokyo air, the air here was clean, fresh. But even the comforting scent of a calm countryside wasn't enough to lift Ohana's mood. She exhaled, watching as a puff of air evaporated in the cold. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and slipped her gloves back on her hands.

Her mother called her and Ohana picked up the phone, rucking her bag up on her back and beginning the long trek to the inn. Truth be told, it would make more sense for her to call a taxi, but she'd forgotten to bring money along. She'd packed a single bag, stuffing who knows what from her apartment, grabbed her phone and keys and booked the first train ticket she could to get out of the city.

"Mom, I've arrived…" she said, looking around at the scenery and wondering how it was that the magic that used to be in the air was gone. "Were you able to get off work?"

"Yes." There was a rustle of clothing and a zipper and Ohana figured Satsuki was packing a bag. "I'll be heading down in about a day for the funeral. But I'm not staying any longer than that."

Ohana didn't blame her. The inn wasn't cathartic for Satsuki like it was for Ohana. The inn was a source of a lot of bad memories for her mother, and though Satsuki had largely healed from her tumultuous past, Ohana didn't doubt that coming here still made her hesitant on some occasions.

"That's fine. Have you contacted her old acquaintances?"

"I'm still working on it." Satsuki sounded exhausted over the phone, her usual bubbly voice devoid of any humour. "Thank you for heading there first, Ohana. I'll call you when I get on the train."

"Alright. Safe travels, Mom."

Ohana sighed as she hung up, walking through the little countryside town. The usually bustling, active place seemed more subdued than she had ever seen it before and it felt like it was reflecting her mood. She headed through the usual path she knew would lead to the inn, walking by other therapeutic inns and shops and past trees and foliage. Nothing much had changed. It almost seemed as if time had stood still here the whole time Ohana was gone, but then again, that was always how the place had been when she was younger. It had a sense of time slowing down for everyone, and she'd always liked that about the town.

Soon enough, she was walking up the gravel pavement and cobblestone pathway staring at the gorgeous Taishou era inn. Her heart squeezed in her chest again as she stared up at the old building, recalling countless memories made there and how much time she'd spent here making wonderful connections. It wasn't in the best condition—wood had eroded in some parts, windows were dusted over and grimy. The inn just looked kind of _tired_. But strange enough, the grass in front of the building hadn't died and most of the plants were thriving and healthy, as if someone had been taking care of it all this time.

Five years she'd been gone. Not much had changed, and yet, at the same time, _everything_ had changed.

And all because one person was no longer there.

"She was supposed to outlive us all…" a voice said softly beside her. "Strongest woman I knew."

Ohana nearly jumped out of her skin to see who had suddenly shown up next to her. To her surprise, it was Old Man Beans, wearing a business suit, his hair combed down and a toothpick between his lips.

He smiled a bit. "You're looking well, dear."

"Old Man Beans…" Ohana felt her lips curve up into a small smile too. "It's good to see you."

She turned and gave him a warm hug, the clenching in her chest loosening up a bit from reuniting with the kind old man who'd been a constant support for them all before he'd retired. He returned the hug while chortling softly and gently patting her back.

"It's good to see you too."

Ohana straightened, glancing around. "I'm glad you're here. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do in this situation. My mother and I have to plan the wake and the funeral within a few days, but I didn't know where to start."

"Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea first? It's cold out here. The others arrived earlier and have been waiting to figure this out with you as well."

"The others?"

She hadn't been in contact with anyone who'd worked in the inn in the past, so she hadn't been expecting anyone to show up this soon. In fact, she thought she would have to contact everyone else to let them know the bad news.

Old Man Beans gave her an enigmatic smile and then began to walk inside the inn. Ohana figured he meant to follow him and also entered, quietly mumbling 'excuse me' under her breath. She'd called this place her home for so long, yet she felt like an outsider for some reason. It was strange.

Stranger still was the how old and dusty the whole place was. It was dark and dreary and cold and empty, so different from how she'd always remembered the inn to be. It was daunting, and everywhere she looked, she saw different moments of the time she'd spent on the stairs or in the front greeting customers or running to provide linens or nourishment to guests. And yet, all that greeted her now were empty hallways and dark corridors.

He led her through the familiar hallways past the kitchen and towards the staff meeting room. When they rounded the corner, Ohana's eyes grew wide.

She stared at all the faces of the people she knew sitting in the room, all looking the same, but all a little aged. Her uncle was growing a moustache, Takako had let her hair grow long (and was pregnant) while Minko's hair was cut short now, bangs held back by pins. Nako looked the same as Ohana remembered, and even Tomoe and Jiroumaru were sitting there as well. It felt odd seeing their crew gathered together again after so many years apart, almost like they'd never left. Ohana couldn't speak for a few seconds as nostalgia kicked in and punched her in the gut. She was suddenly wracked with memories of coming to staff meetings to discuss plans of action to take. Sharing food together and updating each other on things happening in their lives. It was like she was sixteen again, a lost little girl who'd found a small family to relate to.

Nako turned around first and gasped when she noticed them in the doorway. "Ohana…?"

She stepped further into the room with a sheepish smile.

"Hey… It's been a while."


End file.
